Brooks Nader’s Journey From Swim Search Alum to SI Swimsuit Cover Model and Entrepreneur

The budding businesswoman is all about strengthening relationships

Brooks Nader was photographed by James Macari in Dominican Republic. Swimsuit by It’s Now Cool. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets and ring by Gorjana.

It’s not a stretch to say that Brooks Nader makes a good first impression. Five years ago at a Swim Search open casting call in Miami— an event that attracted 10,000 applicants— Nader, then a 21-year-old aspiring model, found herself being interviewed by none other than Christie Brinkley. The SI Swimsuit legend was so taken with Nader’s personality and charisma that Brinkley essentially gave her a golden ticket, putting her in the round of 16 on the spot. She ultimately was photographed for the 2019 Swimsuit Issue and justified Brinkley’s decision by being named the winner of the competition in a public vote.

That was the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship that has continued to grow. And it reaches new heights with this issue, in which Nader becomes the second Swim Search alum to grace the cover, after Camille Kostek in 2019.

Since that first Swim Search shoot, Nader has strived to amplify the message of the SI Swimsuit brand while also working to develop her own. She’s created a jewelry collection with Electric Picks (which she is wearing on the cover) and is an investor in DIBS Beauty.

View Brooks Nader’s full 2023 SI Swimsuit gallery here.

Brooks Nader was photographed by James Macari in the Dominican Republic. Swimsuit by GIGI C.

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

And she’s not the only model looking to make the Nader name stand out. Her three younger sisters— Mary Holland, Grace Ann and Sarah Jane—are all now pursuing modeling careers in New York City, which Brooks also calls home.

Back in Louisiana when the girls were growing up, there was no doubt who was the leader of the pack. “I was always the queen bee, the boss,” Nader jokes. “Literally, they were like, ‘You play Beyoncé, and we’ll play your fans.’ Everyone would sit there and cheer for me. One would be paparazzi. [It’s] so crazy, but nothing has changed.

“I’ve tried to pave the way for them, giving advice, setting them up for success and seeing how they handle it. Showing my sisters the whole process, I think it empowers them to see my journey and how I’ve gotten to where I am now.”

Nader’s family bonds feel especially tight with the release of every Swimsuit Issue. “My grandmother goes to Barnes & Noble every day until she sees it and buys all the copies,” she says. “It’s those things that make me so proud that I’m making my Louisiana peeps so happy. It makes my heart happy.”

View Brooks Nader’s full 2023 SI Swimsuit gallery here.

This article originally published in the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue. Buy the issue here.